Whatever Happened To Urge Overkill??
They had it all going for them!
Early days
Urge Overkill was formed in Chicago in the mid-1980s by Nash Kato (vocals/guitar) and Eddie “King” Roeser (vocals/guitar/bass guitar) after the pair met in college.
The band released the ‘Strange, I…’ EP in 1986, and the full-length album ‘Jesus Urge Superstar’ in 1989, both produced by Kato’s roommate, Steve Albini. Their mid-tempo noise-rock was considered typical of other bands on Touch & Go Records, and was lumped in with the pre-grunge bands of the day.
Next came the ‘Americruiser’ album in 1990, produced by Butch Vig. An improved sound drew better reviews. The mix of punk, power pop, and Stones-like swagger gained the attention of college and alternative radio. The band was moving on up.
Image
Significantly for the band, their image grew, developed, became a drawcard. A brief biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, published on Prince.org, discussed the band’s image:
Few bands ever lusted after rock stardom quite as blatantly as Chicago’s Urge Overkill. Although they draped their quest for stardom in a cloak of ironic detachment, it’s quite clear the trio expected that if they acted like stars, they would become stars. For a while, their stylish…
